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In this contribution, we present a physically motivated heat source model for the numerical modeling of laser beam welding processes. Since the calibration of existing heat source models, such as the conic or Goldak model, is difficult, the representation of the heat source using so-called Lamé curves has been established, relying on prior Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations.
Lamé curves, which describe the melting isotherm, are used in a subsequent finite-element (FE) simulation to define a moving Dirichlet boundary condition, which prescribes a constant temperature in the melt pool. As an alternative to this approach, we developed a physically motivated heat source model, which prescribes the heat input as a body load directly. The new model also relies on prior CFD simulations to identify the melting isotherm. We demonstrate numerical results of the new heat source model on boundary-value problems from the field of laser beam welding and compare it with the prior CFD simulation and the results of the Lamé curve model and experimental data.
Next to chemical composition, metallurgy and welding parameters, the intensity of restraint is one of the variables influencing solidification cracking. Tests like the Houldcroft Test, rate the hot cracking susceptibility indirectly on the amount of restraint the welding can endure without cracking. Modern lightweight steel construction welds can be subject to a larger amount of restraint due to their high-strength nature compared to classical use cases. By varying the plate thickness of Controlled Thermal Severity (CTS) tests produced out of S1100 QL, it was possible to vary the intensity of restraint on fillet welds at a high level. Testing was conducted with four different filler wires for Metal Active Gas (MAG) welding, including three solid and one metal-cored wire. In addition, two sets of welding parameters were tested. The first set with high heat input and high welding speed was shown to be more prone to solidification cracking compared to the second set with lower heat input and welding speed. The results show an increase in solidification cracking with increasing restraint severity.
This article focuses on the selective placement of additional LTT layers to generate compressive residual stresses in fatigue-critical areas of conventional weld joints. This enables an economical solution without effecting the integrity of welded joints. For this, longitudinal stiffeners made of high-strength steel were gas metal arc welded using conventional welding consumable in the first layer. Afterwards, a chromium-nickel alloyed LTT welding consumable was deposit on front sides of the stiffeners. By varying the welding parameters, different weld geometries of the LTT filler metal could be analyzed. The effects of additional LTT layers were investigated with regards to residual stresses, microstructure and strength. X-ray residual stresses measurements show that the residual stresses at the failure critical weld toe are significantly reduced by using additional LTT layers. While the conventional weld is characterized by tensile residual stresses, compressive residual stresses can be detected at the LTT weld. The level of residual stresses is influenced by the geometry of the LTT layer. Additional LTT layers with a high offset to the conventional weld generate more compressive residual stress in the HAZ than with a low offset. Therefore, the weld geometry has a considerable impact on the residual stress profile.
Influence of machining on residual stresses in additive manufactured high-strength steel components
(2024)
This study focuses on the effect of machining on the residual stresses and distortion of WAAM specimens. Defined specimens were welded fully automatically with a special WAAM solid wire (yield strength >820 MPa) with different geometric designs. The residual stresses state before and after cutting of the AM structure from the substrate plate were analyzed by means of X-ray diffraction on the specimen surface and complementary by 3d deformation analyses using photogrammetry. The results reveal significant influences of the geometry on the relaxation and redistribution of residual stresses.
MVT testing was conducted in Transvarestraint mode in multiple welding conditions and under a range of bending speeds. The materials observed were high strength filler metals used in GTAW namely DIN EN ISO 16834-A G 69 4 M21 Mn3Ni1CrMo (G69), 16834-A G 89 6 M21 Mn4Ni2CrMo (G89 6), 16834-A G 89 5 M21 Mn4Ni2,5CrMo (G89 5) and a filler wire 18276-A T 89 4 ZMn2NiCrMo M M21 1 H5 (T89). For evaluation light optical microscope pictures were used. Pixels containing cracks were manually segmented using a self-written program. Out of the segmented images data including crack length, position and area can be calculated for every crack. The results show dependencies of solidification cracking on the test parameters.
This presentation describes the usability of the hollow tensile specimen technique for in-situ material testing in a hydrogen atmosphere.
In addition, the presentation provides an outlook on the methodology for investigating the suitability of pipeline steels and their weld seams for hydrogen operation.
The weldability of stainless steels is largely controlled by the chemical composition, and alloys with ferritic or ferritic-austenitic solidification show the highest resistance to hot cracking. As the resulting phase balance also
affects the final properties, it may be beneficial to both foresee and measure the weld metal ferrite content. The WRC ’92 constitution diagram is currently the most accurate prediction tool available, but it does not take the cooling rate into consideration and the precision may be less accurate for stainless steels with high ferrite numbers (FN). This study aims to validate the reliability of the WRC ’92 diagram for weld metals with FN > 50. The chemical composition was altered through gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) of UNS S32205 with ER347 filler wire that had been PVD-coated with either niobium (Nb), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), manganese (Mn), carbon (C), or silicon (Si). The actual ferrite content was assessed using image analysis, FERITSCOPE® and X-ray diffraction (XRD). While the WRC ’92 diagram predictions were deemed accurate to acceptable for Ni, Si, and Mn, notable deviations were observed for Nb, Cu, and C. The FeriteScope exhibited a consistent trend with image analysis, though the values were higher, and scatter was wider, and the conversion factor is open for discussion. The lowest accuracy and largest spread were obtained using non-contact XRD, rendering it unsuitable for ferrite measurements of welds.
Effect of high-pressure hydrogen environment on the physical and mechanical properties of elastomers
(2024)
This study presents the influence of high-pressure hydrogen environment on the physical and mechanical properties of two types of cross-linked hydrogenated acrylonitrile butadiene rubbers. Based on the CSA/ANSI standard, static exposures in hydrogen experiments were performed up to 100 MPa at 120 °C. Characterization before and after exposure was conducted by means of density and hardness measurements, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), tensile tests, compression set, FT-IR and AFM analyses to assess effects after decompression. While the effect of high-pressure exposure is significant immediately after exposure, most of the physical and mechanical properties recover after 48 hours. FT-IR, AFM, SEM and compression set results indicate, however, permanent effects.
Controlled Thermal Severity (CTS) tests are known for applicatying high restraint intensity to fillet welds. Due to two different variations of the test it was possible to apply different amounts of restraint intensity to high-strength GMAW fillet welds at a high level of restraint. The results show the effect of heat input, filler material and restraint intensity on solidification cracking susceptibility.
The Varestraint test and its variant Transvarestraint are one of the most widely used techniques for evaluating a material solidification cracking sensitivity during welding. The result of such tests is a crack length which is proportional to the material’s cracking susceptibility. Nevertheless, the welding and load parameters can unintentionally influence the crack length, which in some cases can distort the material evaluation. An approach is described as to how these effects can be assessed with the aid of a digital crack analysis. The crack lengths are compared position-dependently with their possible propagation due to the weld pool movement during continuous loading. The index derived from this can be used by the operator to evaluate his test parameters. In addition, a comparison of the results of different Varestraint setups is made possible. Alongside experimental results, a numerical sensitivity analysis is presented on how individual welding and loading parameters can affect the crack lengths.
Multiple principal element alloys encompass the well-known high entropy alloys (HEA). The alloy system represents a new class of materials consisting of at least three alloying elements, each containing 5 to 35 at.%. Thus, this alloying concept differs fundamentally from conventional materials such as steel or nickel alloys. For this purpose, the alloying elements are specifically selected, the microstructures are adjusted in a single-phase and, in some cases, multi-phase manner. In particular, conflicting goals, such as the trade-off between strength and ductility in conventional steels, are overcome. However, in the last 20 years, the focus has been on material synthesis. With the increase in available material quantities, the focus is now on processing issues such as joining and welding processes. The weldability of HEAs has received very little attention so far. The experience with dissimilar metal welds is completely lacking but is essential for the application of these materials in combination with conventional materials. The present study presents comprehensive experimental results on the weldability of an equimolar CoCrFeMnNi-HEA in cold-rolled and heat-treated condition, which was joined by tungsten inert gas welding to an austenitic steel AISI 304. The mechanical properties of the dissimilar metal welds were characterized by cross-weld tensile samples, whereas the local deformation in the weld of the different welding zones was measured by digital image correlation. In accordance with the respective initial HEA condition (cold-rolled vs. heat-treated), the local strain behavior was divergent and influenced the global mechanical properties of both DMW types. Nonetheless, the experiments provided proof in principle of the weldability for dissimilar joints of the CoCrFeMnNi-HEA welded to conventional materials like austenitic stainless steels ensuring a corresponding capability for mechanical loading. This allows further considerations on the application of these innovative materials.
Numerical and experimental assessment of liquid metal embrittlement in externally loaded spot welds
(2024)
Zinc-based surface coatings are widely applied with high-strength steels in automotive industry. Some of these base materials show an increased brittle cracking risk during loading. It is necessary to examine electrogalvanized and uncoated samples of a high strength steel susceptible to liquid metal embrittlement during spot welding with applied external load. Therefore, a newly developed tensile test method with a simultaneously applied spot weld is conducted. A fully coupled 3D electrical, thermal, metallurgical and mechanical finite element model depicting the resistant spot welding process combined with the tensile test conducted is mandatory to correct geometric influences of the sample geometry and provides insights into the sample’s time dependent local loading. With increasing external loads, the morphology of the brittle cracks formed is affected more than the crack depth. The validated finite element model applies newly developed damage indicators to predict and explain the liquid metal embrittlement cracking onset and development as well as even ductile failure.
Hydrogen has great potential on the path towards decarbonization of the energy and transport sectors and can mitigate the urgent issue of global warming. It can be sustainably produced through water electrolysis with potentially zero emissions, and efficiently used (e.g., in fuel cell systems). Despite its environmental advantages, hydrogen-metal interactions could result in the degradation of the mechanical properties of several structural materials. In order to determine the magnitude of the material degradation in relation to hydrogen exposure, extensive material testing is required. The standardized procedure for in-situ testing for the quantification of the impact of compressed gaseous hydrogen (CGH2) relies on the utilization of an autoclave around the tested specimen. Such test set-up is complex, expensive, time-consuming and requires special equipment, trained personnel, and strict safety procedures. A relatively recent method to circumvent these issues and provide affordable results consists of using hollow specimens, thus applying the hydrogen pressure inside rather than outside the specimen. It allows to reduce the volume of hydrogen by several orders of magnitude and to perform the tests more efficiently and in a safer manner. This study focuses on evaluating the tensile properties of X65 vintage pipeline steel tested in a high-pressure hydrogen environment using hollow specimens. Tests are performed in 6 MPa H2 and Ar at the nominal strain rate of 10−6 s−1 to evaluate the reduced area at fracture and the elongation loss. The effect of surface finishing on crack initiation and propagation is investigated by comparing two different manufacturing techniques. In this way, this study provides insights into the applicability of a novel, reliable, and safe testing method which can be used to assess the hydrogen-assisted ductility loss in metallic materials.
The hydrogen economy is one of the main solutions for achieving climate neutrality in Europe. Metallic materials, predominantly steels, are the most common structural materials in the various components along the hydrogen supply chain. Ensuring their sustainable and safe use in hydrogen technologies is a key factor in the ramp-up of the hydrogen economy. This requires extensive materials qualification, however, most of the accepted, and standardised test methods for determining the influence of gaseous hydrogen on metallic materials describe complex and costly procedures that are only available to a very limited extent worldwide (e.g., autoclave technique).
The hollow specimen technique is presented as an alternative method that can overcome the limitations of current techniques and complement them. To standardise the technique, a process has been initiated by ISO in 2021. Knowledge gaps for tests with the technique in hydrogen have been identified by DIN. The H2HohlZug project, which falls under the umbrella of TransHyDE, aims to address the identified knowledge gaps and provide a foundation for a comprehensive standardisation of the hollow specimen technique.
As energy carrier of the future, green hydrogen can make a decisive contribution to a sustainable energy supply. Particularly important is the decarbonization of heavy industry. Therefore, a reliable supply of hydrogen must be guaranteed. A hydrogen pipeline grid can achieve this purpose. In Europe concrete plans for a hydrogen pipeline grid already exist, as the so called “European Hydrogen backbone”. As building a completely new pipeline grid is economically not justifiable, a dual-way strategy of repurposing natural gas (NG) pipelines and newly built pipelines is intended. Long distance pipeline grids require regular maintenance and repairs. For natural gas (NG) pipelines in-service welding is state of the art. Concepts such as hot-tapping (drilling into pressurized pipelines) and “stoppling” (sealing off pipeline sections after installing bypasses or pressure relieves) allow the repair of damaged pipeline sections or the installation of new branches without shutting the pipeline down, which in most cases isn’t possible from an economic standpoint. The EIGA 121/14 guideline already pointed out in 2014 that “a hydrogen hot-tap shall not be considered a routine procedure”. This shows that the determination of the transferability of these repair concepts to hydrogen pipelines is of utmost importance. Due to the degrading effects of hydrogen on mechanical proper-ties, commonly referred to as “hydrogen embrittlement” it is necessary to understand and investigate the occurring effects. In the special case of repair welding on in-service hydrogen pipelines an increased hydro-gen uptake due to a large heat input and microstructural changes in the material needs to be considered. Therefore, material degradation must be investigated to determine whether modifications of repair procedures are necessary to ensure a reliable and safe hydrogen transportation via pipelines. For this reason, this paper gives an overview on existing weld repair concepts and its risks and limitations in terms of hydrogen absorption and possible embrittlement effects when transferred to hydrogen pipelines. The complexity lies in a large variety of materials (low alloyed steels), pipeline diameters and corresponding welded joints. The material compatibility of materials in used (repurposed NG-pipelines) and new condition must be investigated. Particularly for repurposed/used pipelines the effect of a pre-matured/corroded inner surface and sometimes insufficient documentation of the material “history” needs to be considered. An overview on ongoing and completed R&D-projects with respect to repair concepts for hydrogen pipelines and hydrogen effects on pipeline materials is given. The focus hereby lies on possible methods of material testing and modeling. Its current difficulties, limits and possible solution will be discussed.
Contemporary steels creep-resistant steels like the 13CrMoV9-10 are used as thick plates e.g., for applications in hydrocrackers. The large plate thickness requires high efficiency welding processes like submerged arc welding (SAW) and a mandatory post weld heat treatment (PWHT). The PWHT-parameters stem from a combination of empirical knowledge and traditional experiments on free shrinking (FS) welds. In that connection, the formation of so-called stress-relief cracking (SRC) must be anticipated. The SRC susceptibility of a welded component is a complex combination and interaction of com-ponent specific, thermal, and metallurgical factors. Many of which have to date not been conclusively researched. For example, it is well known that SRCs develop during PWHT due to formation and growth of carbides on prior austenite grain boundaries, resulting in a significant hardness increase (secondary hardening) and toughness decrease. This leads to a high SRC susceptibility of the coarse grain heat-affected zone (CGHAZ) of the last weld bead during PWHT. This is intensified in case of high residual stresses from the component-specific, structurally induced stiffness. In combination with multi-layer welding this leads to a multiaxial stress distribution. Nonetheless, the combined effect of PWHT and high-residual stresses on the SRC formation is merely unknown. For that reason, this study presents the effect of different heating rates in conjunction with a certain component stiffness. For that reason, SAW joints of 13CrMoV9-10 steel were investigated under FS and defined external restraint condition.
A fundamental study of physical mechanisms of wineglass-shaped fusion zone profile in laser melting
(2024)
The fusion zone geometry in laser melting processes e.g., laser welding and laser-based additive manufacturing, of metallic materials has commonly a wineglass-shaped profile which is critical to the grain orientation and stress distribution. Hereby, we adopt for the first time a decoupling work through a combination of multi-physics modelling and experiments to reveal the fundamental mechanisms of this special morphology. Two physicsbased easy-to-use metal vapour models are proposed to consider the vapour’s momentum and thermal effects separately. It is found that the direct laser energy absorption and Marangoni shear stress which are widely hypothesised to dominate the wineglass-shape formation show only a minor influence. The additional heating from the metallic vapour plume rather than its momentum impact contributes predominantly to the enlarging of the molten pool top region, resulting directly in the formation of the wineglass-shaped fusion zone. The generality of the plume heating effect is also validated in two types of materials (steel and Al) in a wide range of parameters.
Microalloying elements such as Nb and Ti play a decisive function in achieving the desired mechanical strength of quenched and tempered, high-strength fine-grain structural steels with a nominal yield strength ≥ 690 MPa. The current specifications for the chemical composition only provide manufacturers with upper limits. However, even minor deviations in the alloy concept can have a significant impact on the mechanical properties. Consequently, accurate prediction of weldability and the integrity of welded joints becomes difficult or even impossible due to differences in composition and the resulting microstructures. Undesirable consequences include a possible softening of the heat-affected zone (HAZ) or, conversely, hardening effects. In view of these challenges, various microalloying strategies with different Ti and Nb contents are being systematically investigated for the first time using specially developed laboratory casting alloys. Each alloying route is based on the common S690QL, maintaining both the chemical composition and the heat treatment parameters. To analyse the weldability, three-layer welds were performed using gas metal arc welding (GMAW) and critical microstructures, such as areas of the heat-affected zone (HAZ) that exhibit significant softening or hardening, were identified. The effect of the softened HAZ region on failure was evaluated using transverse tensile specimens. Digital image correlation (DIC) is used to image changes in local strains in different HAZ regions in situ. Using a specially developed mirror system, the local strains of the microstructure zones on the top and bottom of the weld are recorded simultaneously. This makes it possible to analyse how the weld seam geometry (e.g., V-seam) influences the strain gradients. In addition, the analysis of the local deformation helps to understand the effects of the softened HAZ on the global strain, the fracture constriction, the fracture position, and the overall fracture behavior.
Joining and welding technologies are of high importance for the manufacturing of components and parts used in sustainable energy generation, conversion, and transport. In that connection, offshore and on-shore installed wind turbines are of high interest for the generation of electrical energy as well as photo-voltaic systems (solar cells). The electricity can be either directly transported or conversed via power-to-gas e.g., to hydrogen. In that scope, electrolyzer up to MW-range are of interest as well as the conver-sion back to electricity via fuel cells. In addition, hydrogen is a key element of the decarburization of in-dustries as well as the mobility sector encompassing sea, air and land transportation driven by hydrogen or its derivates. Well-known examples cover the direct reduction of iron ore to replace the conventional blast furnace process up to gas turbines or fuel cells for home-end use. All mentioned technologies re-quire reliable components, which are to a high extend dependent on joining and especially welding pro-cessing of materials. Especially, the (petro-) chemical industry has many years of experience with both materials used in hydrogen applications. The challenge is e.g., the transition to mass production of sys-tem components of electrolyzers/fuel cells and for distribution grids. At this point, the scalability of cur-rently applied joining processes often limits the economic efficiency, whereas especially laser welding or additive manufacturing will be of high interest. In that connection, it is very important to provide answers by joint research of universities, institutes, and industrial companies. Very often, solutions are already available and “just” have to be investigated and adapted for the new application, like repair welding of NG pipelines. For that reason, we want to set up a series of comprehensive papers with the aforementioned title. The idea is to get an in-depth but manageable overview of the importance of joining technologies in sustaina-ble energy generation, conversion, and transport encompassing current processes, limitations, and fur-ther perspectives. In that connection, the additive manufacturing is gaining more and more attention. If applicable, current challenges in the adaption or creation of new standards/regulations shall be addressed.
The ISO 3690 standard “Determination of hydrogen content in arc weld metal” requires a thermal activation of the diffusible hydrogen in a piece of weld metal for the subsequent ex situ concentration measurement by carrier gas hot extraction CGHE or thermal desorption spectroscopy (TCD). Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) offers a time and spatially resolved, almost non-destructive, in situ measurement of hydrogen at surfaces without sample preparation. We measured hydrogen in steels, which were charged either electrochemically or by high-pressure hydrogen gas, and compared the results. Further, the feasibility of quantitative hydrogen line scan measurements with LIBS was demonstrated by measuring hydrogen at water jet cut surfaces. The hydrogen concentrations measured with the help of LIBS were compared with CGHE measurements. It was observed that hydrogen can be reliably measured with LIBS for concentrations larger than 2 wt.-ppm. The maximum hydrogen concentration achieved using electrochemical charging was 85.1 ppm. The results show that LIBS is a promising technique for time- and spatially resolved measurements of hydrogen in steels.
Within fracture mechanics safety assessment for steels in nuclear technology, the probabilistic master curve (MC) concept according to ASTM E1921 is currently used for quasi-static loading conditions as a supplement to the established deterministic ASME reference curve concept. However, for ductile cast iron (DCI), a systematic review of potential modifications to the assumptions and the procedure according to ASTM E1921 and an associated validation are still lacking. For this reason, the application of the fracture mechanics MC concept to ferritic ductile cast iron is being investigated in a joint research project between MPA Stuttgart and BAM Berlin. According to Hojo et al. (2008) the MC concept is already in use for the brittle fracture safety assessment of ferritic forged steel containers, which would suggest an extension to ductile cast iron containers. In compliance with IAEA SSG-26, the safety assessment of DCI containers for transport as well as storage of radioactive materials is based on the fracture mechanics criterion of general exclusion of crack initiation. Within this context, the focus of the current research project is on the further development of brittle fracture safety assessment methods. Therefore, a methodology shall be established to determine and assess dynamic fracture toughness values of DCI in the ductile-to-brittle transition regime, using only a low number of small fracture mechanics test specimens extracted from a component. For the experimental program, a DCI material of grade GJS-400 (GGG-40) has been produced as it is generally used for transport and storage containers for nuclear material. A basic mechanical-technological material characterization consisting of tensile, Charpy, and Pellini tests has been planned and a comprehensive fracture mechanics test program was compiled covering dynamic testing of DC(T)9, C(T)25, C(T)50, SE(B)10, SE(B)25, and SE(B)140 specimens at various loading rates and temperatures. The specimen testing is divided between the project partners based on specimen geometry. MPA Stuttgart has been tasked with the testing of the C(T), DC(T) and Pellini specimens, while BAM Berlin was assigned the SE(B), Charpy and tensile tests. These tests allow for the determination of the loading rate relevant for brittle fracture via C(T)25 specimens and an assessment of size effects by transferring the relevant loading rate to other specimen geometries and sizes. Numerical analyses of different specimen geometries and test setups are planned to investigate the influence of stress triaxiality and loading rate. Furthermore, the time-dependent course of the Weibull stress is assessed via these numerical analyses. Throughout the experimental program, the microstructure-property relationship will also be investigated based on quantitative metallographic and fractographic analyses like scanning electron microscope images and metallographic sections. With the acquired experimental database fundamental assumptions of the MC concept, like the weakest link model and the Weibull distribution, will be assessed for the application to DCI. In the end, the applicability of the MC concept will be evaluated and if necessary, modifications to the MC concept for DCI will be proposed. This paper will present the preliminary results of the GJS400 material characterization and the related selection of test specimen extraction points. First results of the C(T)25 and SE(B)140 specimen testing will also be discussed supported by first metallographic analyses.
High-strength steels offer potential for weight optimization due to reduced wall thicknesses in modern constructions. Additive manufacturing processes such as Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) enable the resource-efficient production of structures. In the case of defects occurring in weld seams orWAAM components due to unstable process conditions, the economical solution is local gouging or machining and repair welding. It is important to understand the effects of machining steps on the multiaxial stress state in conjunction with the design-related shrinkage restraints. Research into how welding and slot milling of welds andWAAM structures affects residual stresses is still lacking. For this reason, component-related investigations with high-strength steels with yield strengths ≥790 MPa are carried out in our research. In-situ digital image correlation (DIC) and ex-situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to analyze the stresses and strains induced on specimens during and after milling. The systematic analyses revealed a significant interaction of the stiffness and microstructure of the specimens with the initial residual stresses induced by welding. Subsequent repair welds can result in significantly higher residual stresses.
Within fracture mechanics safety assessment for steels in nuclear technology, the probabilistic master curve (MC) concept according to ASTM E1921 is currently used for quasi-static loading conditions as a supplement to the established deterministic ASME reference curve concept. However, for ferritic ductile cast iron (DCI), a systematic review of potential modifications to the assumptions and the procedure according to ASTM E1921 and an associated validation are still lacking. For this reason, the application of the fracture mechanics MC concept to ferritic ductile cast iron is being investigated in a joint research project between MPA Stuttgart and BAM Berlin. According to IAEA SSG-26, the safety assessment of DCI containers for transport as well as storage of radioactive materials is based on the fracture mechanics criterion of general crack initiation exclusion. Within this context, the focus of the research project is on brittle fracture. The goal is the establishment of a methodology to determine and assess dynamic fracture toughness values of DCI in the ductile-to-brittle transition regime, using samples extracted from a component.
The experimental program uses a DCI material of grade GJS-400, which is generally used for transport and storage containers of radioactive materials. Firstly, a basic mechanical-technological material characterization will be performed consisting of tensile, Charpy and Pellini tests. Following the material characterization, the loading rate relevant for brittle fracture will be determined using instrumented C(T)25-fracture tests at a temperature of -40°C. To be able to transfer the relevant loading rate to other specimen geometries or sizes, the time-dependent course of the Weibull stress is assessed via numerical analyses. With this information an extensive experimental program consisting of DC(T)9, C(T)25, C(T)50, SE(B)10, SE(B)25 and SE(B)140 specimens is performed. These experimental results will be further supported by numerical and fractographic analyses. The empirical experimental database developed for DCI materials will be used to assess the applicability of the MC concept for DCI materials under dynamic loading.
At the current time manufacturing and precracking of test specimens is ongoing. The authors provide first results concerning the mechanical-technological material characterization, the relevant loading rate for brittle fracture determined via C(T)25 tests, and some early results of other specimen types. These experimental results are also supported by preliminary numerical and statistical analyses.
Residual stress formation during repeated gouging and repair welding cycles of high-strength steels
(2024)
The construction of foundation and erection structures for wind power plants requires the use of modern, sustainable and resource-efficient high-strength fine-grained structural steels. Weld defects due to the welding process are unacceptable. To overcome this issue, local thermal gouging followed by re-welding is a common and cost-effective method. The high shrinkage restraint of the gouge by the surrounding structure can cause crack initiation when design and re-weld induced residual stresses are superimposed. This risk is intensified by the progressive degradation of the microstructure and mechanical properties of high-strength steels during the weld repair process.
This investigation focuses on high-strength steels S500MLO for offshore applications and S960QL for mobile crane applications. The reduction and development of residual stresses caused by local thermal gouging and re-welding was investigated. Digital Image Correlated (DIC) stress-strain analysis was performed during preheating, welding and cooling. The results of the global DIC analysis and local longitudinal and transverse residual stresses of the weld determined by X-ray diffraction were found to be in good agreement. Furthermore, different stress levels were identified during gouging and welding. Repeated repair cycles led to an increase of longitudinal and transverse residual stresses in the weld metal as well as a hardness increase in the heat affected zone.
Direct energy deposition additive manufacturing technologies that utilize an electric arc have great potential for generating large volume metal components. However, selecting process parameters that yield the desired near net shape design and requested mechanical component behavior is not a trivial task due to the complex relationship between all process parameters and material characteristics. This presentation exemplifies the application of a newly developed solid welding wire doped with TiB to enhance grain refinement in the deposited metal for additive manufacturing based on DED-Arc of high-strength precipitation hardening AlMgSi-aluminum alloys. It is worth noting that the solid wire is the result of our preliminary metallurgical studies on grain refinement in aluminum weld metal.
Consequently, research focuses on the correlation between process parameters and component quality to understand the underlying mechanisms. This is crucial for evaluating a robust process parameter space that yields component quality in line with corresponding standards which are mainly taken from welding technology.
Specifically, we examine component quality by analyzing pore size and distribution, as well as grain morphology. To enhance the mechanical properties of the deposited metal, a post-weld heat treatment was conducted, comprising of solution treatment, quenching, and artificial aging. The study also evaluates the effects of various heat treatment strategies on the final mechanical properties of the material.
To demonstrate the applicability of 3D metal printing of high-strength aluminium alloys, a more complex demonstrator was created. It has been shown that DED-Arc can produce high-volume aluminium parts with the same quality as the corresponding subtractive processing strategy.
Additionally, the entire additive manufacturing chain has been digitally integrated, enabling traceability of all relevant process steps, which is essential for reliable subsequent quality assessment.
As industries move for ever faster development and adoption cycles of emerging new technologies in the field of welding, the meticulous and longer-winded approach of the scientific research process can feel harder to integrate. To help bridge this gap and increase the speed, quality, and adoption rate of publicly funded research, the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) continues to work towards enabling scientists with direct access to necessary software tools and - in the future – highest quality welding research reference data to further foster collaborations.
On the experimental side, the arc welding group at BAM division 9.3 “welding technologies” is continuing to expand and upgrade its capacities of robotic welding systems with integrated state of the art sensor technologies and software solutions. This allows all experiments to be recorded and measured in micro-millimeter accuracy and at sub-millisecond precision, including welding process data, complete spatial geometry and temperature measurements, process video recordings and more. The custom software-based solutions and interfaces allow scaling of the welding systems from large thick plate offshore applications to small additive repair weldments in wind turbine blades to multi-hour continuous weldments in additive manufacturing applications. In addition to the data gathered during the welding process itself, the relevant testing results and materials properties produced at BAM or externally can be integrated seamlessly. This allows detailed traceability of all results back to the actual welding process.
Regardless of the scope and application, complete datasets can be made accessible for research or industry partners in the highest resolution based on the open source WelDX (welding data exchange) file format.
Figure 1. Welding experiment representation including dynamic process data, cross-section imaging and hardness measurements from a single weldx file.
The talk will give an overview of the experimental facilities and workflows as well as current software developments with a focus on research data quality assurance, traceability, and accessibility.
Based on the integration into latest research trends and activities of the “welding technologies” division, the path to publishing reference datasets for arc welding process for various applications and materials is outlined and discussed.
The transition toward a hydrogen-based economy requires a widespread transport and distribution network, and repurposed natural gas pipelines are a viable option. An assessment of the hydrogen-induced degradation of pipeline steels is needed to inject H2 gas into the existing infrastructure safely. The conservative and standardized method consists of in-situ tensile tests in an autoclave filled with high-pressure hydrogen gas. A proposed alternative method involves
using a hollow specimen as containment volume and applying the gas pressure in the inner cavity.
This technique has lower costs and shorter test preparation time but is not standardized yet. This study aims to evaluate and compare the tensile properties of API 5L X65 pipeline steel in two states: vintage and modern. The influence of the surface roughness is investigated through parallel tests with drilled and reamed specimens. Hydrogen tests are compared with reference tests in an inert environment. A significant hydrogen-induced decrease in tensile properties is observed, and no significant difference between vintage and modern X65 can be drawn. The reduction in tensile properties is more significant in specimens with higher inner surface roughness. The evaluation of surface conditions appears crucial when assessing the HE susceptibility of hydrogen transport and storage equipment.
The application of an external magnetic field has been found to significantly mitigate the porosity ratio in laser beam welded joints of AlMg3 aluminum alloy. To investigate the suppression mechanism, a 3D transient multi-physics coupled numerical model of laser beam welding (LBW), including laser propagation, laser-material interaction, and magnetohydrodynamic effects, has been developed to calculate the keyhole dynamics and weld pool behaviors during the welding process. The induced time-averaged Lorenz force is directed downward. Under the effects of the external magnetic field, the fluid flow pattern and the weld pool profile are both affected. The keyhole geometry reconstruction algorithm is proposed to calculate the keyhole diameter and its fluctuation, which is used to evaluate the keyhole stability. The results indicate that the oscillating magnetic field does not affect keyhole stability obviously in the LBW of aluminum alloy. Moreover, an electromagnetic expulsive force is induced on the bubble because of the time-averaged downward Lorentz force. This electromagnetic expulsive force can accelerate the bubble escape speed considerably. An analytical model is developed for investigating the bubble escape window, which shows that the bubble escape window is expanded by 45% under the effect of the external magnetic field. The calculated results based on the developed model agree well with the experimental results.
The Modified Varestraint Transvarestraint test is a local variant of the globally used Varestraint test. With these tests, measuring solidification cracking susceptibility as a function of welding parameters is possible. A wide range of welding parameters for four high-strength steel filler wires, including three solid wires and one-flux cored metal wire, were tested. All wires do show a very low solidification cracking susceptibility, regardless of the paramaters. On a low level, it could be shown that solidification cracking susceptibility increases with heat input and welding speed.
Testing of highly restraint high-strength fillet welds with regards to solidification cracking susceptibility. The Controlled Thermal Severity test was used to apply a high amount of strain to solidifying welds. Test welds were cut and observed under an optical light microscope. A clear positive correlation between restraint intensity and measured crack sizes, as well as heat input and measured crack sized could be observed.
The hydrogen economy is one of the most important solutions to achieve climate neutrality in Europe. It involves the production, storage, transport and use of large quantities of hydrogen in existing and new infrastructures. Components along this supply chain, such as pipelines and storage tanks, are made of various metallic materials, with steel being the most common construction material. The rapid introduction of hydrogen therefore brings with it major challenges, in particular the need for comprehensive qualification of components and materials to ensure the sustainable and safe use of hydrogen technologies. This article provides an overview of the state of the art in the testing of materials and components as well as corresponding future trends and developments for a successful transition to a hydrogen economy.
The constantly increasing demand for renewable energy sources lead to the necessity of transporting large amounts of hydrogen. Since pipelines enable a cost-effective way for the distribution of gaseous hydrogen, the interaction of hydrogen and the pipeline materials must be carefully investigated as hydrogen can cause a degradation of the mechanical properties under certain conditions. Especially welds, which are assumed to be more susceptible to the degradation enhanced by hydrogen, are of great interest. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of gaseous hydrogen on the mechanical properties of an X65 pipeline, and the longitudinal submerged arc welding (SAW) welded joint. The tests are conducted using the hollow specimen technique on two types of specimens: one extracted from the base material (BM) and the other extracted as a cross-weld (CW) specimen consisting of base material and weld seam. The specimens are charged in-situ under a pressure of 60 bar and tested using slow strain rate (SSR) tensile tests with a nominal strain rate of 10-5 s-1. The performed tests showed a decrease of the reduction of area (RA) from 72% in inert atmosphere to 52% in hydrogen atmosphere for the CW-specimen and a decrease from 73% in inert atmosphere to 51% for the BM. Metallographic analyses showed the crack initiation between fine grain heat affected zone (FGHAZ) and BM for the specimens tested in hydrogen atmosphere as well as for the reference specimens. This leads to the conclusion that the location of the crack initiation does not change due to the presence of gaseous hydrogen.
The following contribution presents the analyses of additively manufactured (AM) 316L using hollow specimens at 200 bar hydrogen and a strain rate of 1E-5 s-1. The work includes a comparison of three types of hollow specimens: mechanically extracted from fully additively manufactured cylinders, near-net-shape additively manufactured specimens, i.e. as printed, and specimens made of conventional 316L. AM specimens were manufactured via powder bed fusion with laser beam of metals (PBF-LB/M). For the near-net-shape specimens the inner hole remained without any mechanical processing. The inner holes of the cylindric specimens were manufactured by drilling with subsequent honing.
The susceptibility to hydrogen embrittlement was found to be strongly dependent on the surface being in contact with hydrogen. While specimens with a clean surface had a relative reduction of area (RRA) of around 78 %, those with an as-printed surface showed a significantly larger RRA of around 90 %. One possible reason for this are oxide layers formed due to small amounts of oxygen during the AM-process.
Further research is required to determine if the lower effect on the mechanical properties is permanently for as printed parts or e.g. time dependent. Additionally, further work with variation in the nominal strain rate is required.
The amount of absorbed energy in the keyhole as well as its distribution is essential to model the laser beam welding process. The recoil pressure is a key determining factor for the macroscopic flow of the molten metal in the weld pool during high-power laser beam welding. Consequently, a realistic implementation of the laser radiation on the weld metal is crucial to obtain accurate simulation results.
The following developments on the laser-material interaction are discussed for the numerical simulation of the laser beam welding process. The first implemented improvements relate to locating the exact reflection points in the ray tracing method in the determination algorithm for the intersection of the reflected rays and the keyhole surface. A second correction refers to the numerical treatment of the Gaussian distribution of the laser beam, whose beam width is defined by a decay of the laser intensity by a factor of 1/e2 thus ignoring around 14 % of the total laser beam energy. In a third step, the laser radiation distribution in vertical direction was approximated according to the beam caustics. Finally, a virtual mesh refinement was adopted in the ray tracing routine. The obtained numerical results were validated with experimental measurements.
This study investigates the room‐ and high‐temperature (650 °C) tensile and low‐cycle‐fatigue behavior of Inconel 718 produced by laser powder bed fusion (PBF‐LB/M) with a four‐step heat treatment and compares the results to the conventional wrought material. The microstructure after heat treatment is characterized on different length scales. Compared to the wrought variant, the elastic and yield properties are comparable at both test temperatures while tensile strength, ductility, and strain hardening capacity are lower. The fatigue life of the PBF‐LB/M variant at room temperature is slightly lower than that of the wrought material, while at 650 °C, it is vice versa. The cyclic stress response for both material variants is characterized by cyclic softening, which is more pronounced at the higher test temperature. High strain amplitudes (≥0.7%) at room temperature and especially a high testing temperature result in the formation of multiple secondary cracks at the transitions of regions comprising predominantly elongated grain morphology and columns of stacked grains with ripple patterns in the PBF‐LB/M material. This observation and pronounced crack branching and deflection indicate that the cracks are controlled by sharp micromechanical gradients and local crystallite clusters.
As energy carrier of the future, green hydrogen can make a decisive contribution to a sustainable energy supply. In Europe concrete plans for a hydrogen pipeline grid already exist, as the so called “European Hydrogen backbone”. As building a completely new pipeline grid is economically not justifiable, a dual-way strategy of repurposing natural gas (NG) pipelines and newly built pipelines is intended. Long distance pipeline grids require regular maintenance and repairs. In that conection, for natural gas (NG) pipelines in-service welding is state of the art. Concepts such as hot-tapping (drilling into pressurized pipelines) and “stoppling” (sealing off pipeline sections after installing bypasses or pressure relieves) allow the repair of damaged pipeline sections or the installation of new branches without shutting the pipeline down. The EIGA 121/14 guideline already pointed out in 2014 that “a hydrogen hot-tap shall not be considered a routine procedure”. This shows that the determination of the transferability of these repair concepts to hydrogen pipelines is of utmost importance. Due to the degrading effects of hydrogen on mechanical proper-ties, commonly referred to as “hydrogen embrittlement” it is necessary to understand and investigate the occurring effects. In the special case of repair welding on in-service hydrogen pipelines an increased hydro-gen uptake due to a large heat input and microstructural changes in the material needs to be considered. For this reason, this paper gives an overview on existing weld repair concepts and its risks and limitations in terms of hydrogen absorption and possible embrittlement effects when transferred to hydrogen pipelines. The complexity lies in a large variety of materials (low alloyed steels), pipeline diameters and corresponding welded joints. The material compatibility of materials in used (repurposed NG-pipelines) and new condition must be investigated. Particularly for repurposed/used pipelines the effect of a pre-matured/corroded inner surface and sometimes insufficient documentation of the material “history” needs to be considered. An overview on ongoing and completed R&D-projects with respect to repair concepts for hydrogen pipelines and hydrogen effects on pipeline materials is given.
Contemporary steels creep-resistant steels like the 13CrMoV9-10 are used as thick plates e.g., for applications in hydrocrackers. The large plate thickness requires high efficiency welding processes like submerged arc welding (SAW) and a mandatory post weld heat treatment (PWHT). The PWHT-parameters stem from a combination of empirical knowledge and traditional experiments on free shrinking (FS) welds. In that connection, the formation of so-called stress-relief cracking (SRC) must be anticipated. The SRC susceptibility of a welded component is a complex combination and interaction of com-ponent specific, thermal, and metallurgical factors. Many of which have to date not been conclusively researched. For example, it is well known that SRCs develop during PWHT due to formation and growth of carbides on prior austenite grain boundaries, resulting in a significant hardness increase (secondary hardening) and toughness decrease. This leads to a high SRC susceptibility of the coarse grain heat-affected zone (CGHAZ) of the last weld bead during PWHT. This is intensified in case of high residual stresses from the component-specific, structurally induced stiffness. In combination with multi-layer welding this leads to a multiaxial stress distribution. Nonetheless, the combined effect of PWHT and high-residual stresses on the SRC formation is merely unknown. For that reason, this study presents the effect of different heating rates in conjunction with a certain component stiffness. For that reason, SAW joints of 13CrMoV9-10 steel were investigated under FS and defined external restraint condition.
Based on the initial call in March 2024, an update time-frame is introduced on the working plan for a comprehensive review paper series on joining and welding technologies for the manufacturing of components and parts used in sustainable energy generation, conversion, and transport with focus on hydrogen and wind energy.
Compatibility of welded austenitic stainless steel (316L) tube for green hydrogen applications
(2024)
The increase in the energy demand and the need to comply to net zero carbon regulations, as per the Paris 2015 climate agreement by 2050, has necessitated the urgency to consider hydrogen as alternative energy carrier. Moreover, hydrogen interaction with metals tend to cause degradation of the mechanical properties in terms of the ductility of the materials. More concern is on the weldment and repair of tubes or pipelines of hydrogen transportation and storage systems. In this study, the heat inducted weld tubes of the cold drawn and annealed austenitic stainless steel (316L) were investigated by slow strain rate test. To achieve the most realistic component-related testing, hollow tube specimens have been fabricated from 1/2-inch Swagelok pipes filled with internal gaseous hydrogen or inert air for reference. The hydrogen concentration measurement is undertaken before and after the autoclave high-pressure pre-charging of the specimens using carrier gas hot extraction. SEM analysis was used to carry out fractographic analysis to determine the crack initiation sites, crack size and was compared for the base material and heat affected zone influence in the gaseous hydrogen. The effect of hydrogen on the material compatibility of the welded austenitic stainless steel is assessed and compared to none-welded tubes tested in defined testing parameters that contribute to Hydrogen Assisted Cracking. A better understanding on the impact of weldment on the structural integrity for stainless steel is elucidated for green hydrogen application.
Laser Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB/M) of AISI 316L stainless steel has gained popularity due to its exceptional capacity to produce complex geometries and hierarchical microstructures, which can increase the yield strength while maintaining good ductility. Nevertheless, owing to high thermal gradients encountered during the process, the as printed 316L stainless steel often exhibit microstructural heterogeneities and residual stresses, which can limit its performance in demanding environments. Hence, employing heat treatments which balance the reduction of residual stresses while retaining improved static strength may be beneficial in various scenarios and applications. This study investigates the impact of post-processing heat treatments on the microstructure of 316L stainless steel manufactured via PBF-LB/M, along with its correlation with micro-hardness properties. To this end, 6 different heat treatments, i.e., 450 °C for 4h, 700 °C for 1h, 700 °C for 3h, 800 °C for 1h, 800 °C for 3h, and 900 °C for 1h, were applied to different specimens and Vickers hardness measurements (HV1) were performed in all states. At 800 °C, although the cellular structure appears to be retained, there is an observable increase in cellular size. However, while treatments exceeding 900 °C indicate no significant grain growth compared to other conditions, the cellular structure is entirely dissolved, which leads to a reduced Vickers hardness. The effect of the heat treatments on other microstructural features such as grain size and morphology, melt pool boundaries (MPB), crystallographic texture, chemical segregation, dispersoids and phase stability are also discussed in the present work
Parameter studies are a common step in selecting process parameters for powder bed fusion of metals with laser beam (PBF-LB/M). Density cubes manufactured with varied process parameters exhibit distinguishable surface structures visible to the human eye. Industrial visual in-situ monitoring systems for PBF-LB/M currently have limited resolution and are incapable of reliably capturing differences in the surface structures. For this work, a 65 MPixel high resolution monochrome camera is integrated in an industrial PBF-LB/M machine together with a high intensity led bar. Post-exposure images are taken to analyze differences in light reflection on the specimen’s surface. The grey level co-occurrence matrix is used to quantify the in-situ measured visual surface structure of nickel-based super alloy IN939 density cubes. The properties of the grey level co-occurrence matrix correlate to the energy input and resulting porosity of specimens. Low energy samples with lack of fusion flaws show an increased contrast in the grey level co-occurrence matrix compared to specimens with an optimal energy input. The potential of high-resolution images as reference data in in-situ process monitoring in PBF-LB/M is discussed.
AbstractPowder Bed Fusion with Laser Beam of Metals (PBF-LB/M) has gained more industrial relevance and already demonstrated applications at a small series scale. However, its widespread adoption in various use cases faces challenges due to the absence of interfaces to established Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) that support customers in the predominantly data-driven quality assurance. Current state-of-the-art PBF-LB/M machines utilize communication architectures, such as OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA), Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) and Representational State Transfer Application Programming Interface (REST API). In the context of the Reference Architecture Model Industry 4.0 (RAMI 4.0) and the Internet of Things (IoT), the assets, particularly the physical PBF-LB/M machines, already have an integration layer implemented to communicate data such as process states or sensor values. Missing is an MES component acting as a communication and information layer. To address this gap, the proposed Extract Transform Load (ETL) pipeline aims to extract relevant data from the fabrication of each build cycle down to the level of scan vectors and additionally to register process signals. The suggested data schema for archiving each build cycle adheres to all terms defined by ISO/TC 261—Additive Manufacturing (AM). In relation to the measurement frequency, all data are reorganized into entities, such as the AM machine, build cycle, part, layer, and scan vector. These scan vectors are stored in a runtime-independent format, including all metadata, to be valid and traceable. The resulting machine log represents a comprehensive documentation of each build cycle, enabling data-driven quality assurance at process level.
The use of hydrogen demands high safety requirements, since hydrogen can be absorbed by metallic materials and may cause hydrogen embrittlement (HE) under certain conditions. Slow strain rate (SSR) tensile testing is a widespread method to quantify the hydrogen-induced ductility loss of alloys. Here, the hollow specimen technique was used to evaluate the effect of 150 bar hydrogen on the tensile properties of solution annealed and hardened 100Cr6 steel, which is a common material for bearing systems. This technique reduces the required amount of hydrogen and minimizes the duration and costs of the tests performed compared to in-situ tensile tests in autoclaves.
Hydrogen gas plays a key role in the European energy transition strategy. When transmitting and storing compressed hydrogen gas, safety is one of the most important conditions. With increasing hydrogen pressure and temperature, more hydrogen is absorbed by the steel components, such as pipelines or valves, and may lead to embrittlement. Although, a deep understanding of microstructure on the hydrogen solubility in steels is missing. Classical Sieverts’ law is only valid at high temperatures and low gas pressures. For that purpose, new theory is presented, which explains the role of microstructure on hydrogen solubility. Hydrogen trapping at microstructural defects is a thermally activated mechanism and causes an increase of the hydrogen solubility with decreasing temperatures. This mechanism has to be considered in cryogenic applications, such liquid or compressed hydrogen storage.
The growing demand for hydrogen requires an expansion of testing capabilities to assess the performance of metallic materials under hydrogen exposure. Considering only gaseous atmospheres, there is a variety of in-situ and ex-situ methods used to investigate the material behavior while or after exposed to hydrogen, respectively.
Among these methods, a more conservative one is the in-situ testing at slow strain rates (SSRT) using conventional tensile specimens. While results obtained by a conservative procedure may be more applicable in many cases than those of ex-situ experiments, the tests are quite demanding, leading to limited testing capacities and high costs, especially for very slow strain rates. A possible solution that can enable in-situ testing at relatively low cost is the hollow specimen technique which gained increasing interest in the last decade. The main reasons are the minimal volume of hydrogen required and the elimination of a high-pressure hydrogen autoclave leading to significantly lower costs and enabling more laboratories worldwide to perform these tests. However, interpreting results from hollow specimens, especially when compared to conventional ones, remains a significant challenge.
To address this, an experimental study was conducted using conventional and hollow specimens, both uncharged and pre-charged. Pre-charging was achieved using pure hydrogen (5.0, i.e. 99.999 %) at 100 bar and 300 °C for around 21 days. In order to obtain suitable reference specimens, other specimens were stored in argon at 100 bar and 300 °C for the same period of time. The tests were performed at various strain rates, down to 1E-6 1/s.
While these ex-situ experiments are not directly comparable to in-situ tests with both types of specimens, they do provide some insights into the differences between the results of hollow and conventional specimens. Therefore, the elongation at fracture and reduction of area (RA) were compared, among other aspects. In addition, fractographical analyses were carried out using SEM images. Elongation at fracture was not significantly affected by hydrogen in conventional specimens, but it was slightly reduced in hollow specimens. RA, on the other hand, was lower for tests with hydrogen in both types of specimens across all strain rates. Moreover, the strain rate did not appear to influence hydrogen embrittlement in conventional specimens whereas in hollow specimens, tests conducted at higher strain rates (1E-4 1/s) showed a greater impact of hydrogen on elongation at fracture than those at lower strain rates (1E-6 1/s), which is contrary to the typical expectation.
These findings suggest that the influence of hydrogen differs between conventional and hollow specimens, possibly due to factors such as surface roughness and differing stress states. However, further experiments are needed to fully understand these differences, including in-situ experiments to understand potential differences in hydrogen absorption between the two specimen types.
The hollow specimen technique is a simple and economical method
that has the potential to overcome the limitations and complement
the current techniques for qualifying metallic materials under highpressure
hydrogen gas.
In this technique, an axial hole is manufactured in a tensile
specimen, which is then filled with hydrogen gas, sealed, and
placed in a standard testing machine. This method requires
significantly lower amounts of hydrogen, resulting in fewer safety
measures and does not require complex equipment or a specialised
laboratory, unlike the conventional autoclave technique.
Initial studies have demonstrated the feasibility of assessing
hydrogen effects in metallic materials using the hollow specimen
technique. This led to the establishment of the committee ISO/TC
164/SC 1/WG 9 to standardise the method, however, there are still
open questions that currently prevent the technique from being
standardised for hydrogen testing. These open questions are being
addressed in the H2HohlZug project, which is presented in this
contribution.
Due to the advantages of Laser Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB), i.e., design freedom and the possibility to manufacture parts with filigree structures, and the considerable amount of knowledge available for 316L in its conventional variant, the mechanical behavior, and related microstructure-property relationships of PBF-LB/316L are increasingly subject of research. However, many aspects regarding the - application-relevant - mechanical behavior at high temperatures are not yet fully understood. Here, we present the results of an experimental study on the LCF behavior of PBF-LB/316L featuring a low defect population, which makes this study more microstructure-focused than most of the studies in the literature. The LCF tests were performed between room temperature (RT) and 600 °C. The mechanical response is characterized by strain-life curves, and hysteresis and cyclic deformation curves. The damage and deformation mechanisms are studied with X-ray computed tomography, and optical and electron microscopy. The PBF-LB/M/316L was heat treated at 450 °C for 4 h, and a hot‑rolled (HR) 316L variant with a fully recrystallized equiaxed microstructure was tested as a reference. Besides, selected investigations were performed after a subsequent heat treatment at 900 °C for 1 h. The PBF-LB/316L exhibits higher cyclic stresses than HR/316L for most of the fatigue life, especially at room temperature. At the smallest strain amplitudes, the fatigue lives of PBF-LB/M/316L are markedly shorter than in HR/316L. The main damage mechanisms are multiple cracking at slip bands (RT) and intergranular cracking (600 °C). Neither the melt pool boundaries nor the gas porosity have a significant influence on the LCF damage mechanism. The cyclic stress-strain deformation behavior of PBF-LB/M/316L features an initial hardening followed by a continuous softening. The additional heat treatment at 900 °C for 1 h led to decreased cyclic stresses, and a longer fatigue life.
The influence of test temperature and frequency on the fatigue life of the alloy EN AW-2618A (2618A) was characterized. The overaged condition (T61 followed by 1000 h/230 °C) was investigated in load-controlled tests with a stress ratio of R = -1 and two test frequencies (0.2 Hz, 20 Hz) at room temperature and at 230°C, respectively. An increase in the test temperature reduces fatigue life, whereby this effect is more pronounced at lower stress amplitudes. Decreasing the test frequency in tests at high temperatures further reduces the service life.
Laser Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB/M) is a layer wise metal additive manufacturing (AM) technology, which enables significant advancements of component design, leading to potential efficiency and performance improvements. However, the thermal cycles inherent to the process comprising large localized thermal gradients and repeated melting and solidification cycles leads to the generation of high magnitude residual stresses. These residual stresses can be detrimental both during manufacturing of components and in subsequent application. Therefore, a deep understanding of the influence of process parameters on the residual stresses are crucial for efficient manufacturing and safe application. The experimental characterization of these residual stresses is therefore crucial and can provide a reliable baseline for simulations of both the process and applications.
Diffraction-based methods for residual stress analysis using penetrating neutrons and high energy X-rays enable non-destructive spatially resolved characterization of both surface and bulk residual stresses. However, the unique microstructural features inherent to the process can challenge some of our assumptions when using these methods. These challenges include the determination of a stress-free reference, the use of correct elastic constants (both SCEC and DEC) and the influence of surface roughness, texture, and porosity on residual stresses.
This presentation will detail recent insights and recommendations for the characterization of residual stresses in a range of PBF-LB/M metallic alloys (Fe, Ni, Al and Ti)
The determination of residual stress in additively manufactured materials is a challenge, even after decades from the establishment of the basics of residual stress analysis. This is due to the peculiar microstructure of such materials. In fact, researchers have discovered that conventional methods for the determination of RS in materials do not properly work for AM materials. In this tutorial, the basics of RS analysis will be explained, together with the basics of AM manufacturing techniques. The microstructure of the peculiar materials (AM) dealt with here will be elucidated. Successively, the necessary modifications to the conventional approaches to RS analysis will be explained and case studies will be displayed, for the attendant to touch with hands the peculiarities of the approaches. Finally, a few experimental and theoretical tips will be given on dos and don’ts for a correct determination of RS in AM materials.
To accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy while exploiting existing infrastructure, hydrogen can be injected to the natural gas network. However, many technical and regulatory gaps should be closed, and adaptations and investments made to ensure that multi-gas networks across Europe will be able to operate in a reliable and safe way while providing a highly controllable gas quality and required energy demand. The SHIMMER project aims to enable a higher integration and safer hydrogen injection management in multi-gas networks by contributing to the knowledge and better understanding of hydrogen projects, their risks, and opportunities.
The key for a transition into clean energy sources is based on the construction of safe energy infrastructure, such as transportation pipelines for Hydrogen. Duplex Stainless Steels (DSS) are an essential component used nowadays in the construction of transportation pipelines because of their many distinctive qualities. The choice of DSS for a particular hydrogen application mainly depends on its susceptibility level to Hydrogen Embrittlement (HE) or Hydrogen Assisted Cracking (HAC). Since the 20th century, the literature indicates three factors that must be considered: the microstructure of the alloy steel, the hydrogen concentration, and the mechanical load. Several mechanisms have been also proposed to describe the occurring microscale processes behind HE or HAC, and these include metastable phase transformation, Hydrogen Enhanced Localized Plasticity (HELP), and Hydrogen Enhanced Decohesion (HEDE).
The following contribution describes the path to ascertain if DSS is suitable for high-pressure gaseous hydrogen applications. The interplay between several critical factors that result in HAC was examined using high-pressure gaseous hydrogen charging, Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD), and hydrogen concentration measurements using Carrier Gas Hot Extraction (CGHE). It was determined whether the strain-induced martensitic transformation of the austenite was present in a DSS 1.4462 (DSS2205) in-service pipe and in samples of freshly charged DSS 1.4462. In comparison to the common electrochemical charging described broadly in the literature, no major direct martensitic phase transformation of the austenite phase under a high-pressure hydrogen environment was observed. As for future experiments, the intention is to analyse the impact of high-pressure gaseous hydrogen on the welded components of this grade, and under mechanical load via the hollow specimen technique.
Effects of NBR formulations on properties for high-pressure gas systems were tested. Functionalized silica enhances typical properties to a comparable range like CB. The balance of additives results in suitable RGD performance. Silica filled NBR shows lower H2 uptake compared to non-plasticized CB filled NBR. Morphology of CB filled NBR is less affected by H2 than silica filled grades.
We investigated the phase transformations during butt-welding of supermartensitic steel plates with help of Neutron-Bragg-Edge Imaging (NBEI). Gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) was used with a motorized torch allowing for automated weldments. The austenitization in the heat affected zone (HAZ) could be clearly visualized at λ = 0.39 nm, a wavelength smaller than the Bragg edge wavelengths of both austenite and martensite. The re-transformation into the martensitic phase during cooling was clearly detected. However, we observed an unexpected additional change in transmission at λ = 0.44 nm, a wavelength larger than the wavelength of the Bragg edges of both the martensitic and austenitic phases. We attribute this change to the Deybe-Waller-Factor that describes the temperature dependence of coherent scattering at a crystal lattice. The observed two-dimensional attenuation map corresponds well with a temperature distribution modelling by software macros in ANSYS [3]. Here, the absolute temperature values could be achieved by calibrating the modelled attenuation with help of a thermocouple placed at the steel plate. This allows in return for a direct two-dimensional temperature reading based on the Debye-Waller-relation between neutron attenuation and sample temperature.
The damage mechanisms of metallic components produced by process laser powder bed fusion differ significantly from those typically observed in conventionally manufactured variants of the same alloy. This is due to the unique microstructures of additively manufactured materials. Herein, the focus is on the study of the evolution of creep damage in stainless steel 316L specimens produced by laser powder bed fusion. X-ray computed tomography is used to unravel the influence of the process-specific microstructure from the influence of the initial void distribution on creep damage mechanisms. The void distribution of two specimens tested at 600 °C and 650 °C is analyzed before a creep test, after an interruption, and after fracture. The results indicate that the formation of damage is not connected to the initial void distribution. Instead, damage accumulation at grain boundaries resulting from intergranular cracking is observed.
Additively manufactured components are characterized by heterogeneous mechanical properties due to variations of the microstructure, flaws and residual stresses resulting from the inhomogeneous fabrication process. The large number of influencing factors poses a further challenge in understanding the correlation between material properties, process parameters and component geometry. Therefore, the qualification of components based on witness specimens produced within the same job is questionable. This work aims to present a new strategy for the characterization of PBF-LB/M components based on representative specimens. The key assumption is the feasibility of a transfer of the thermal history from a component to a specimen. It is assumed that similar material properties are determined for components and specimens produced adopting a similar thermal history. After the definition of a region of interest in the component, a combination of thermal analyses by means of finite elements and in-situ experimental determination of the thermal history through infrared thermography is used to produce test coupons with a similar thermal history. The effectiveness of the procedure is demonstrated on a pressure vessel for applications in the chemical industry.
This study provides insights into the properties of 316L stainless steel produced by additive manufacturing using fused filament fabrication (FFF). One key finding is particularly noteworthy: in significant contrast to cold-rolled 316L, FFF316L develops a pronounced martensite phase after fabrication. The comprehensive comparative analysis shows that FFF316L not only retains the ferrite volume content, but that this is also significantly influenced by the build-up direction. Despite the sintering process, which typically involves densification of the material, a pore volume fraction of 8.45 % remains, which influences the mechanical properties. Although FFF316L has lower elastic
modulus and tensile strength values compared to cold-rolled 316L, its ductility is still competitive. The study further reveals that deformation-induced martensite forms at the intersections of the deformation twins and ferrite islands form at the grain boundaries during the compression and sintering phases. These findings highlight the challenges associated with FFF316L in specific application fields and signal the need to continue to carefully evaluate and improve the development of manufacturing technologies.
The thermal history during additive manufacturing of complex components differs significantly from the thermal history of geometrically primitive test specimens. This can result in differences in properties that can lead to different material behavior. In this talk, the concept of representative test specimens is introduced, which enables the transfer of thermal histories from complex geometries to simple geometries, which can lead to better comparability of material properties.
Development of representative test specimens by thermal history transfer in laser powder bed fusion
(2024)
The use of components manufactured by laser powder bed fusion (PBF LB/M) and subjected to fatigue loading is still hampered by the uncertainty about the homogeneity of the process results. Numerous influencing factors including the component’s geometry contribute to the risk of process instability and resulting inhomogeneity of properties. This drastically limits the comparability of different built parts and requires expensive full component testing. The thermal history as the spatiotemporal temperature distribution has been identified as a major cause for flaw formation. Therefore, it can be hypothesized that a similar thermal history between components and test specimens enhances their comparability. Following this assumption, a strategy is developed to transfer the intrinsic preheating temperature as a measure of comparability of thermal histories from a region of interest of a complex component to a simple test specimen. This transfer concept has been successfully proved by the use of FEM-based macroscale thermal simulations, validated by calibrated infrared thermography. An adoption of the specimen manufacturing process by the adjustment of the inter layer times was established to manufacture specimens which are representatives of a specific region of a large-scale component in terms of the thermal history similarity criterion. The concept is schematically illustrated in Figure 1 and was demonstrated using a pressure vessel geometry from the chemical industry.
AbstractThis research aims to detect and analyze critical internal and surface defects in metal components manufactured by powder bed fusion of metals using a laser beam (PBF‐LB/M). The aim is to assess their impact on the fatigue behavior. Therefore, a combination of methods, including image processing of micro‐computed tomography (CT) scans, fatigue testing, and machine learning, was applied. A workflow was established to contribute to the nondestructive assessment of component quality and mechanical properties. Additionally, this study illustrates the application of machine learning to address a classification problem, specifically the categorization of pores into gas pores and lack of fusion pores. Although it was shown that internal defects exhibited a reduced impact on fatigue behavior compared with surface defects, it was noted that surface defects exert a higher influence on fatigue behavior. A machine learning algorithm was developed to predict the fatigue life using surface defect features as input parameters.
Hybrid additive manufacturing is becoming increasingly important in the field of additive manufacturing. Hybrid approaches combine at least two different manufacturing processes. The focus of this work is the build-up of geometries onto conventionally manufactured parts using Powder Bed Fusion with Laser Beam of Metals (PBF-LB/M). The hybrid build-up requires a precise position detection system inside the PBF-LB/M machines to determine the exact position of the existing component. For this purpose, high-resolution camera systems can be utilized. However, the use of a camera system is associated with several challenges. The captured images are subject to various distortions of the optical path. Due to these distortions, it is not possible to use the images for measurements and, therefore, it is not possible to calculate the positions of objects. In this study a homography matrix is calculated to correct keystone distortion in the images. Different calibration patterns have been tested for the calculation of the homography matrix. The influence of the number of calibration points on the precision of position detection of objects is determined. Furthermore, the influence of an additional camera calibration by using ChArUco boards is evaluated. The result is a camera calibration workflow with associated calibration pattern for a precise position detection of parts inside PBF-LB/M machines allowing a hybrid build-up with minimum physical offset between base component and build-up.
Hybrid additive manufacturing is becoming increasingly important in the field of additive manufacturing. Hybrid approaches combine at least two different manufacturing processes. The focus of this work is the build-up of geometries onto conventionally manufactured parts using laser-based powder bed fusion of metals (PBF-LB/M). The hybrid build-up requires a precise position detection system inside the PBF-LB/M machines to determine the exact position of the existing component. For this purpose, high-resolution camera systems can be utilized. However, the use of a camera system is associated with several challenges. The captured images are subject to various distortions of the optical path. Due to these distortions, it is not possible to use the images for measurements and, therefore, it is not possible to calculate the positions of objects. In this study a homography matrix is calculated to correct keystone distortion in the images. Different calibration patterns have been tested for the calculation of the homography matrix. The influence of the number of calibration points on the precision of position detection of objects is determined. Furthermore, the influence of an additional camera calibration by using ChArUco boards is evaluated. The result is a camera calibration workflow with associated calibration pattern for a precise position detection of parts inside PBF-LB/M machines allowing a hybrid build-up with minimum physical offset between base component and build-up.
Laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M) of metallic alloys is a layer-wise additive manufacturing process that provides significant scope for more efficient designs of components, benefiting performance and weight, leading to efficiency improvements for various sectors of industry. However, to benefit from these design freedoms, knowledge of the high produced induced residual stress and mechanical property anisotropy associated with the unique microstructures is critical. X-ray and neutron diffraction are considered the benchmark for non-destructive characterization of surface and bulk internal residual stress. The latter, characterized by the high penetration power in most engineering alloys, allows for the use of a diffraction angle close to 90° enabling a near cubic sampling volume to be specified. However, the complex microstructures of columnar growth with inherent crystallographic texture typically produced during PBF-LB/M of metallics present significant challenges to the assumptions typically required for time efficient determination of residual stress. These challenges include the selection of an appropriate set of diffraction elastic constants and a representative lattice plane suitable for residual stress analysis. In this contribution, the selection of a suitable lattice plane family for residual stress analysis is explored. Furthermore, the determination of an appropriate set of diffraction and single-crystal elastic constants depending on the underlying microstructure is addressed.
In-situ loading experiments have been performed at the Swiss Spallation Neutron Source with the main scope to study the deformation behaviour of laser powder bed fused Inconel 718. Cylindrical tensile bars have been subjected to an increasing mechanical load. At pre-defined steps, neutron diffraction data has been collected. After reaching the yield limit, unloads have been performed to study the accumulation of intergranular strain among various lattice plane families.
The general term additive manufacturing (AM) encompasses processes that enable the production of parts in a single manufacturing step. Among these, laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB) is one of the most commonly used to produce metal components. In essence, a laser locally melts powder particles in a powder bed layer-by-layer to incrementally build a part. As a result, this process offers immense manufacturing flexibility and superior geometric design capabilities compared to conventional processes. However, these advantages come at a cost: the localized processing inevitably induces large thermal gradients, resulting in the formation of large thermal stress during manufacturing. In the best case, residual stress remains in the final parts produced as a footprint of this thermal stress. Since residual stress is well known to exacerbate the structural integrity of components, their assessment is important in two respects. First, to optimize process parameter to minimize residual stress magnitudes. Second, to study their effect on the structural integrity of components (e.g., validation of numerical models). Therefore, a reliable experimental assessment of residual stress is an important factor for the successful application of PBF-LB. In this context, diffraction-based techniques allow the non-destructive characterization of the residual stress. In essence, lattice strain is calculated from interplanar distances by application of Braggs law. From the known lattice strain, macroscopic stress can be determined using Hooke’s law. To allow the accurate assessment of the residual stress distribution by such methods, a couple of challenges in regard of the characteristic PBF-LB microstructures need to be overcome.
This presentation highlights some of the challenges regarding the accurate assessment of residual stress in PBF-LB on the example of the Nickel-based alloy Inconel 718. The most significant influencing factors are the use of the correct diffraction elastic constants, the choice of the stress-free reference, and the consideration of the crystallographic texture. Further, it is shown that laboratory X-ray diffraction methods characterizing residual stress at the surface are biased by the inherent surface roughness. Overall, the impact of the characteristic microstructure is most significant for the selection of the correct diffraction elastic constants. In view of the localized melting and solidification, no significant gradients of the stress-free reference are observed, even though the cell-like solidification sub-structure is known to be heterogeneous on the micro-scale.
Low transformation temperature (LTT) welding consumables offer an innovative approach to increase the fatigue strength of welded high-strength steel structures. LTT welding consumables are characterized by a martensitic phase transformation near ambient temperature, which generates compressive residual stresses in the weld and heat affected zone (HAZ). The aim is to achieve a weld geometry, which generate high compressive residual stresses at the fatigue crack critical weld toe.
Longitudinal stiffeners were gas metal arc welded using a conventional welding consumable; the base material was a high strength steel S700M. A chromium-nickel alloyed LTT consumable was deposit subsequently just on front sides of the stiffeners. Different welding parameters led to varying cross sections of the weld. The residual stresses were determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) in the crack critical HAZ.
When using only the conventional, the HAZ is characterized by high tensile residual stresses. The additional application of the LTT alloy leads to a significant reduction of the tensile residual stresses. Depending on the weld geometry, even compressive residual stresses can be observed at the weld toe
Hydrogen will be one of the most important energy carriers of tomorrow. For the necessary large-scale and long-distance transportation, a reliable pipeline infrastructure is required. It is meanwhile in the most countries accepted to follow a two-way strategy by (I) repurposing the existing natural gas (NG) grid combined with (II) the installation of new pipelines. For example, in Europe a so-called European Hydrogen Backbone (EHB) is planned for 2040. Currently, 28 countries work together to establish a hydrogen pipeline grid of several thousands of kilometers. In that connection, a wide number of materials are used with different thicknesses, strength levels, chemical composition, surface conditions and so on. Worldwide research projects suggest the general compatibility of the currently applied pipeline steels e.g., in Germany the “SysWestH2” project. Nonetheless, the hydrogen gas grid will require regular inspections, repair, and maintenance. In addition, sometimes pipeline tees are required to connect new grids or pipelines the existing infrastructure. From that point of view, existing concepts from NG-grids must be investigated in terms of the transferability to hydrogen service. An overview on occurring challenges for this hydrogen transition, especially for in-service weld repair procedures is given in this presentation.
Electromagnetic stirring is known to promote material flow, reduce porosity, uniform elements distribution, and refine grain in laser beam welding (LBW), which enhances the applicability of LBW in various industries. In this study, a phase-field model of dendrite growth in AA5754 Al alloy electromagnetic stirring laser beam welding was established. The model considered the thermal electromagnetic Lorentz force resulting from the interaction between the electric field generated by the Seebeck effect and the magnetic field, as well as the temperature gradient and solidification rate of the solidification interface obtained from the computational fluid dynamics electromagnetic stirring LBW model. The variation rules of dendrite growth with different magnetic parameters and effects are analyzed. Comprehensively, the magnetic field promotes the solidification rate, thus promoting interfacial instability and a large magnetic flux density leads to a faster interface instability. The solidification rate as well as the temperature gradient affect the growth rate, and the accelerated growth caused by the so lidification rate with a high frequency and a large magnetic flux density effectively inhibits the slow growth caused by the temperature gradient. The thermal electromagnetic Lorentz force is the main factor for the branch increment at low frequencies, while both thermal electromagnetic Lorentz force and temperature gradient in crease the number of branches at high frequencies. The calculated average branch numbers considering various factors in the stable stage under different magnetic parameters were consistent with the results of the scanning electron microscope tests.
The development of a robust hydrogen infrastructure poses challenges to materials exposed to high pressurized hydrogen environments. Polymeric materials, which are expected to perform as seals, gaskets, O-rings, hoses among other applications face high risk of damage due to rapid gas decompression (RGD) which might cause operational safety issues. In this study, we intend to assess the effects of a high pressurized hydrogen environment on carbon black filled (CB) elastomers. The materials were exposed to 100 MPa hydrogen atmosphere at room temperature and at 85°C. Ex-situ characterization was performed during the first 30 minutes after decompression and repeated two days after the exposure when total gas desorption has taken place. The physical and mechanical characteristics of the materials were determined by means of density and volume change, hardness and tensile tests, and dynamic mechanical analysis.
Additive manufacturing is one of the most promising techniques for industrial production and maintenance, but the specifics of the layered structure must be considered. The Direct Energy Deposition-Arc process enables relatively high deposition rates, which is favourable for larger components. For this study, specimens with different orientations were prepared from one AISI316 steel block – parallel and orthogonal to the deposition plane. Quasistatic tensile loading tests were carried out, monitored by an infrared camera. The obtained surface temperature maps revealed structural differences between both orientations. The consideration of surface temperature transients yields more details about the behaviour of the material under tensile loading than the conventional stress-strain-curve. These preliminary investigations were supplemented by thermographic fatigue trials. Although the anisotropy was also observed during fatigue loading the fatigue behaviour in general was the same, at least for both inspected specimens. The presented results demonstrate the abilities and the potential of thermographic techniques for tensile tests.
Despite the advances in hardware and software techniques, standard numerical methods fail in providing real-time simulations, especially for complex processes such as additive manufacturing applications. A real-time simulation enables process control through the combination of process monitoring and automated feedback, which increases the flexibility and quality of a process. Typically, before producing a whole additive manufacturing structure, a simplified experiment in the form of a beadon-plate experiment is performed to get a first insight into the process and to set parameters suitably. In this work, a reduced order model for the transient thermal problem of the bead-on-plate weld simulation is developed, allowing an efficient model calibration and control of the process. The proposed approach applies the proper generalized decomposition (PGD) method, a popular model order reduction technique, to decrease the computational effort of each model evaluation required multiple times in parameter estimation, control, and optimization. The welding torch is modeled by a moving heat source, which leads to difficulties separating space and time, a key ingredient in PGD simulations. A novel approach for separating space and time is applied and extended to 3D problems allowing the derivation of an efficient separated representation of the temperature.
The results are verified against a standard finite element model showing excellent agreement. The reduced order model is also leveraged in a Bayesian model parameter estimation setup, speeding up calibrations and ultimately leading to an optimized real-time simulation approach for welding experiment using synthetic as well as real measurement data.
As energy carrier of the future, green hydrogen can make a decisive contribution to a sustainable energy supply. Particularly important is the decarbonization of heavy industry. Therefore, a reliable supply of hydrogen must be guaranteed. A hydrogen pipeline grid can achieve this purpose. In Europe concrete plans for a hydrogen pipeline grid already exist, as the so called “European Hydrogen backbone”. As building a completely new pipeline grid is economically not justifiable, a dual-way strategy of repurposing natural gas (NG) pipelines and newly built pipelines is intended.
Long distance pipeline grids require regular maintenance and repairs. For NG pipelines in-service welding is state of the art. Concepts such as hot-tapping (drilling into pressurized pipelines) and “stoppling” (sealing off pipeline sections after installing bypasses or pressure relieves) allow the repair of damaged pipeline sections or the installation of new branches without shutting the pipeline down, which in most cases isn’t possible from an economic standpoint.
The EIGA 121/14 guideline already pointed out in 2014 that “A hydrogen hot-tap shall not be considered a rou-tine procedure, […]”. This shows that the determination of the transferability of these repair concepts to hydrogen pipelines is of utmost importance. Due to the degrading effects of hydrogen on mechanical properties, commonly referred to as “hydrogen embrittlement” it is necessary to understand and investigate the occurring effects. In the special case of repair welding on in-service hydrogen pipelines an increased hydrogen uptake due to a large heat input and microstructural changes in the material needs to be considered. Therefore, material degradation must be investigated to determine whether modifications of repair procedures are necessary to ensure a reliable and safe hydrogen transportation via pipelines.
For this reason, this paper gives an overview on existing weld repair concepts and its risks and limitations in terms of hydrogen absorption and possible embrittlement effects when transferred to hydrogen pipelines. The complexity lies in a large variety of materials (low alloyed steels), pipeline diameters and corresponding weld-ed joints. The material compatibility of materials in used (repurposed NG-pipelines) and new condition must be investigated. Particularly for repurposed/used pipelines the effect of a pre-matured/corroded inner surface and sometimes insufficient documentation of the material “history” needs to be considered.
An overview on ongoing and completed R&D-projects with respect to repair concepts for hydrogen pipelines and hydrogen effects on pipeline materials is given.
The weldability of stainless steels is largely controlled by the chemical composition, and alloys with ferritic or ferritic-austenitic solidification show the highest resistance to hot cracking. As the resulting phase balance also affects the final properties, it may be beneficial to both foresee and measure the weld metal ferrite content. The WRC ’92 constitution diagram is currently the most accurate prediction tool available, but it does not take the cooling rate into consideration and the precision may be less accurate for stainless steels with high ferrite numbers (FN). This study aims to assess the reliability of the WRC ’92 diagram for weld metals with FN > 50. The chemical composition was altered through gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) of UNS S32205 with ER347 filler wire that had been PVD-coated with either niobium (Nb), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), manganese (Mn), carbon (C), or silicon (Si). The actual ferrite content was evaluated using image analysis, FERITSCOPE® and X-ray diffraction (XRD). While predictions from the WRC ’92 diagram were deemed acceptable for Ni, Si, and Mn, notable deviations were observed for Nb, Cu, and C. The FeriteScope exhibited a consistent trend with image analysis, albeit with slightly higher FN values, wider scatter, and the conversion factor from FN to vol.-% is open for discussion. The lowest accuracy and largest spread were obtained using non-contact XRD, rendering it unsuitable for ferrite measurements of welds. These findings underscore the need for improved prediction tools and appropriate measurement methods for assessing ferrite content in duplex weld metals.
Microalloying elements such as Nb and Ti are essential to increase the strength of quenched and tempered high-strength low alloy (HSLA) structural steels with nominal yield strength ≥ 690 MPa and their welded joints. Standards such as EN 10025–6 only specify limits or ranges for chemical composition, which leads to variations in specific compositions between steel manufacturers. These standards do not address the mechanical properties of the material, and even small variations in alloy content can significantly affect these properties. This makes it difficult to predict the weldability and integrity of welded joints, with potential problems such as softening or excessive hardening of the heat-affected zone (HAZ). To understand these metallurgical effects, previous studies have investigated different microalloying routes with varying Ti and Nb contents using test alloys. The high-strength quenched and tempered fine-grained structural steel S690QL is the basic grade regarding chemical composition and heat treatment. To evaluate weldability, three-layer welds were made using high-performance MAG welding. HAZ formation was investigated, and critical microstructural areas were identified, focusing on phase transformations during cooling and metallurgical precipitation behavior. Isothermal thermodynamic calculations for different precipitations were also carried out. Mechanical properties, especially Charpy notch impact toughness, were evaluated to understand the influence of different microalloys on the microstructure of the HAZ and mechanical properties.
This work provides an investigation of the influence of low temperature heat treatments on the fatigue behavior of a PBF-LB AlSi10Mg alloy. Fatigue specimens are produced in form of round bars on a build platform preheated at 200 ◦C. The specimens have been tested in three different conditions: as-built, and after heat treatments at 265 ◦C for 1 h and 300 ◦C for 2 h. Prior to the fatigue testing, the defect distribution is analyzed by means of micro computed tomography. Subsequently, the peak over threshold method is successfully applied to provide a prediction of the size of killer defect. The defect population was of gas porosity type. No clear improvement of the fatigue performance is observed after the heat treatments. The fatigue strength predicted using fracture mechanics-based approaches is in good agreement with the experimental data. Among the studied approaches, short crack models provided the most conservative predictions.
Low Transformation Temperature (LTT) welding consumables represent an innovative approach to realize compressive residual stress in weld and HAZ. LTT welding consumables use the volume-expanding martensitic phase transformation near room temperature to generate compressive residual stress during cooling. This article focusses on the weld geometry of LTT welding consumables and their influence on residual stress reduction. For this purpose, LTT layers were additionally applied to the front sides of conventionally welded longitudinal stiffeners. By varying parameters such as offset and welding speed, different weld geometries could be realized. These were analyzed for geometric parameters, chemical composition and residual stress using X-ray diffraction and fatigue testing. While the chemical composition was only slightly influenced by parameters changes, a clear influence was observed regarding to weld geometry and residual stress. The conventionally weld was characterized by tensile residual stress of ≈350 MPa at the weld toe, the additional LTT weld bead exhibits compressive and tensile residual stress of ≈-150MPa to ≈+150MPa depending to the parameter variation.
Safety and reliability are the major challenges to face for the development and acceptance of hydrogen technology. It is therefore crucial to deeply study material compatibility, in particular for tribological components that are directly in contact with hydrogen. Some of the most critical parts are sealing materials that need increased safety requirements. In this study, the fretting behavior of several elastomer materials were evaluated against 316L stainless steel in an air and hydrogen environment up to 10 MPa. Several grades of cross-linked hydrogenated acrylonitrile butadiene (HNBR), acrylonitrile butadiene (NBR) and ethylene propylene diene monomer rubbers (EPDM) were investigated. Furthermore, aging experiments were conducted for 7 days under static contions in 100 MPa of hydrogen followed by rapid gas decompression. Fretting tests revealed that the wear of these compounds is significantly affected by the hydrogen environment compared to air, especially with NBR grades. After the aging experiment, the friction response of the HBNR grades is characterized by increased adhesion due to elastic deformation, leading to partial slip.
Additive manufacturing techniques, such as laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB), are well known for their exceptional freedom in part design. However, these techniques are also characterized by the development of large thermal gradients during production and thus residual stress (RS) formation in produced parts. In this context, neutron diffraction enables the non-destructive characterization of the bulk RS distribution. By control of the thermal gradients in the powder-bed plane by scan strategy variation we study the impact of in-process scan strategy variations on the microstructure and the three-dimensional distribution of RS. Microstructural analysis by means of electron backscatter diffraction reveals sharp microstructure transitions at the interfaces ranging from 100-200 µm. The components of the RS tensor are determined by means of neutron diffraction and the principal stress directions and magnitudes are determined by eigenvalue decomposition. We find that the distribution of RS in the powder-bed plane corresponds to the underlying scan strategy. When the alternating scan vectors align with the x- and y sample coordinate axes, the principal stress directions co-align. In the present geometry, nearly transverse isotropic stress states develop when the scan vectors are either aligned 45° between x and y or continuously rotated by 67° between each layer.
The magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) technology is recognized as a promising approach for improving the quality of deep penetration laser beam welding. This study employs experimental and numerical methods to investigate the effects of an auxiliary oscillating magnetic field on reducing porosity in the laser beam welding of 5754
aluminum alloy. The experimental results clearly demonstrate a significant reduction of 97% in the porosity ratio of the welded joints applied with an oscillating magnetic field compared to those without magnetic field, thereby validating the efficiency of applying MHD technology in mitigating porosity during the laser beam welding process. In addition, a transient 3D multi-physical model has been developed, integrating the MHD model and metal vapor plume, to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the porosity suppression mechanism. The weld pool shape is significantly widened and enlarged because of the Lorentz force, which facilitates the escape of gas bubbles. Meanwhile, the introduction of an oscillating magnetic field generates a time-averaged downward Lorentz force. This averaged downward Lorentz force, in turn, enhances and stables the downward fluid flow, which hinders the bubble backward movement. Meanwhile, this averaged downward Lorentz force induces an upward electromagnetic expulsive force on the bubble, which effectively increases the upward escape velocity of bubbles in the weld pool. The simulation results agree well with the experimental results.
Microalloying elements such as Nb and Ti play a decisive function in achieving the desired mechanical strength of quenched and tempered, high-strength fine-grain structural steels with a nominal yield strength ≥ 690 MPa. The current specifications for the chemical composition only provide manufacturers with upper limits. However, even minor deviations in the alloy concept can have a significant impact on the mechanical properties. Consequently, accurate prediction of weldability and the integrity of welded joints becomes difficult or even impossible due to differences in composition and the resulting microstructures. Undesirable consequences include a possible softening of the heat-affected zone (HAZ) or, conversely, hardening effects. In view of these challenges, various microalloying strategies with different Ti and Nb contents are being systematically investigated for the first time using specially developed laboratory casting alloys. Each alloying route is based on the common S690QL, maintaining both the chemical composition and the heat treatment parameters.
To analyse the weldability, three-layer welds were performed using gas metal arc welding (GMAW) and critical microstructures, such as areas of the heat-affected zone (HAZ) that exhibit significant softening or hardening, were identified. The effect of the softened HAZ region on failure was evaluated using transverse tensile specimens. Digital image correlation (DIC) is used to image changes in local strains in different HAZ regions in situ. Using a specially developed mirror system, the local strains of the microstructure zones on the top and bottom of the weld are recorded simultaneously. This makes it possible to analyse how the weld seam geometry (e.g., V-seam) influences the strain gradients. In addition, the analysis of the local deformation helps to understand the effects of the softened HAZ on the global strain, the fracture constriction, the fracture position, and the overall fracture behavior
In the area of plant engineering, steel components are provided with a wear protection coating for efficient use to protect them against corrosive, tribological, thermal and mechanical stresses. The use of innovative ultrasound-assisted milling processes and plasma-welded nickel- and cobalt-based wear protection coatings are being investigated to determine how more favourable machinability can be achieved while retaining the same wear protection potential. The focus is on the NiCrSiFeB alloy, which is intended to replace CoCr alloys in the area of screw machines. The utilization of ultrasonic-assisted milling for the machining of coating materials is a novel approach. The modification of hard facing layers in terms of microstructure and precipitation morphology as well as suitability for machining is investigated and compared with the CoCr alloy. The alloy modifications are generated by a PTA process by systematically adjusting the preheating and interpass temperatures, a crack-free wear-resistant layer can be generated, which is subsequently machined by a milling process. In addition to the crack-free properties, the microstructure, the bonding as well as the mixing between the NiCrSiFeB alloy and a 1.8550 as well as between the CoCr alloy and a 1.4828 are analysed and compared in the joining areas. In addition, heating and cooling rates are determined and a chemical analysis of the weld metals is performed. Furthermore, it was found that the build-up layers of NiCrSiFeB alloy are more difficult to machine using the milling process than the CoCr alloy, as higher milling forces are required.
The development of multi‐principal‐element alloys (MPEAs) with unique characteristics such as high work hardening capacity similar to well‐known alloy systems like Hadfield steel X120Mn12 (ASTM A128) is a promising approach. Hence, by exploiting the core effects of MPEAs, the application range of conventional alloy systems can be extended. In the present study, work‐hardening MPEAs based on the equimolar composition CoFeNi are developed. Mn and C are alloyed in the same ratio as for X120Mn12. The production route consists of cast manufacturing by an electric arc furnace and surface functionalization via mechanical finishing using ultrasonic‐assisted milling (USAM) to initiate work hardening. The microstructure evolution, the hardness as well as the resulting oscillating wear resistance are detected. A pronounced lattice strain and grain refinement due to the plastic deformation during the USAM is recorded for the MPEA CoFeNi‐Mn12C1.2. Consequently, hardness increases by ≈380 HV0.025 in combination with a higher oscillating wear resistance compared to the X120Mn12. This shows the promising approach for developing work‐hardening alloys based on novel alloy concepts such as MPEAs.
Eight commercial austenitic stainless steels were tensile tested in reference atmosphere, in gaseous high-pressure hydrogen and in gaseous hydrogen precharged condition using conventional (CS) and tubular specimens (TS). For all configurations, 0.2 yield strength and ultimate tensile strength were comparable. In reference atmosphere, reduction of area of CS was higher compared to TS, whereas in gaseous high pressure hydrogen reduction of area of CS was lower compared to TS. In gaseous hydrogen precharged condition reduction of area of CS and TS were comparable for the severely affected grades. The differences in necking behavior between CS and TS are explained by different competitions between necking and hydrogen assisted crack initiation and growth especially for the tests in high pressure hydrogen gas.
The application of anti-corrosion coated, high-strength steels in the automotive industry has increased in recent years. In combination with various zinc-based surface coatings, liquid metal embrittlement cracking can be observed in some of these materials. A high-quality, crack-free spot-welded joint is essential to realize the lightweight potential of the materials. In this work, the LME susceptibility of different coatings, which will be determined by the crack length and the occurrence rate, will be investigated using a welding under external load setup. The uncoated specimens did not show any LME. EG, GI and GA showed significantly less LME than ZM coatings. The latter coatings showed much larger crack lengths than the EG, GI and GA coatings. Furthermore, two mechanisms regarding the LME occurrence rate were observed: the occurrence of LME in zinc–magnesium coatings was theorized to be driven by the material properties of the coatings, whereas the occurrence of LME at EG, GI and GA samples was forced mainly by the application of the external tensile load.
In the experimental setup of this work, the materials were exposed to unusually high mechanical loads (up to 80% of their yield strength) to evoke LME cracks.
Structural alloys are largely employed in key industrial sectors and their demand is predicted to rise rapidly for the next decades. Most of these materials require a large amount of energy for extraction and manufacturing, which causes the emission of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. Therefore, strategies for improving the sustainability of structural metallic alloys are urgently needed.
Additive Manufacturing (AM), in particular Laser Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB/M), aims to be a sustainable manufacturing process, as it allows the build-up of complex geometry in near net-shape from 3D models, while minimizing material waste and the energy required for the process and post-process treatments.
Nevertheless, the application of additively manufactured parts in structural safety-relevant applications is still hindered by the poor fatigue performance. The cause of this has been mainly attributed to the presence of manufacturing defects and surface roughness. Therefore, a huge effort has been made to optimize the process parameters and to introduce post-process treatments to minimize the defect content. However, material flaws cannot be fully eliminated, but these can be considered in a damage tolerance framework for the prediction of the fatigue performance of additively manufactured metallic materials, which is essential for part design and qualification.
This work aims at presenting different modelling strategies for the prediction of the fatigue limit of AM metals. Simple empirical models and more complex models based on fatigue short crack propagation are proposed. The investigated material is an AlSi10Mg alloy fabricated by PBF-LB/M and subjected to two different low-temperature heat-treatments (265°C for 1 h and 300°C for 2h). The results show that the models can provide good approximation of the fatigue limits and help in the interpretation of the scatter of fatigue data.
The Kitagawa-Takahashi (KT) diagram is a well-established tool in the fatigue community for the prediction of the fatigue limit of metallic materials in presence of defects. Nevertheless, its determination is associated with a large number of fatigue tests carried out on specimens with artificial defects (notches) to describe the fatigue limit-defect size relationship in the short crack regime. The preparation of the specimens and the execution of the tests is time expensive. Therefore, few phenomenological models have been introduced in the past to provide a first approximation of the KT diagram based solely on the fatigue limit for smooth specimen and the fatigue crack propagation threshold for long cracks. Despite the use of such models is widely spread, these suffer from problems related to the uncertainties of the material parameters. Furthermore, the mechanics of short cracks, which is the physical mechanism behind the concept of the fatigue limit, is not considered. This work discusses the advantages and drawbacks of using short fatigue crack propagation models for predicting the fatigue limit of flawed metallic materials. The KT diagrams for a EA4T railway axle steel in as-received and full-hardened condition are approximated by means of the cyclic R-curve method.
Understanding the void defect formation mechanism and simultaneous predicting the tool service life in friction stir welding are critical for optimizing the welding parameters. However, the void defect formation mechanism in friction stir welding is not yet elucidated. In this study, a novel integrated thermal-fluid-structure coupling model of the friction stir welding process was proposed for simultaneous prediction of the weld formation and tool service life. A new non-uniform distribution model of the tool-workpiece contact pressure was proposed to describe the interaction between the tool and the workpiece. The void defect formation mechanism was quantitatively studied using the proposed integrated thermal-fluid-structure coupling model. The results show that the plastic material flows in the horizontal direction and can completely fill the cavity behind the tool for the welding condition of forming a sound weld. While the tool-workpiece contact interfacial frictional shear stress in the rear of the tool is decreased significantly which leads to a severe decrease in the plastic material flow velocity. Therefore, after bypassing the tool from the retreating side, the plastic material at the bottom of the weld stagnates, and void defect forms in the middle and lower part of the weld at the advancing side. The difference between the maximum and the minimum tool-workpiece contact pressure could serve as a numerical criterion to predict void defects. A sound joint is formed when the difference is lower than the critical value of 15 MPa, while a void defect is formed in the weld if it is higher than this critical value. The maximum equivalent stress acting on the tool is located at the pin root with severe stress concentration at a high welding speed. The front of the tool is subjected to tensile stress while its rear is subjected to compressive stress, therefore the tool is apt to fracture at its root under an inappropriate welding condition. The average normal stress of the tool varies periodically with its period consistent with the rotation period of the tool. The service life of the tool is decreased with the increase in welding speed and the decrease in rotation speed. The model is validated by experimental results.
A new simplified and effective method has been formalised to estimate the Constant Amplitude Fatigue Limit (CAFL) of stress-relieved steel welded joints subjected to uniaxial push–pull loading and failing from the weld toe. Starting from the sharp V-notch assumption of the NSIF approach and the cyclic R-curve of the material in the heat affected zone, the proposed method identifies the CAFL as threshold level of the local stress field at the V-notched weld toe in the uncracked configuration. Such threshold stress field assures the crack arrest at the V-notched weld toe, according to the cyclic R-curve analysis. The method has been validated against experimental results and proved effective for a straightforward assessment of the CAFL of welded joints, as the stable crack propagation analysis of classical fracture mechanics approaches can be avoided.
Hydrogen has great potential into the decarbonization process of the energy and transport sectors, thus helping to mitigate the urgent issue of global warming. It can be sustainably produced through water electrolysis with potentially zero emissions, and efficiently used in fuel cell systems. Despite its environmental advantages, hydrogen is an extremely flammable substance and its interaction with most metallic materials could result in their mechanical properties degradation to an extent that could make them inherently unsafe.
Extensive material testing under realistic operating conditions is required to determine the criteria under which hydrogen-induced damage is to be expected. In-situ slow strain rate tensile (SSRT) test is an option that allow the quantification of the behavior of metals in hydrogenated environments. The standardized procedure for testing in-situ the pressurized gaseous hydrogen
effect on metals consists of the utilization of an autoclave as a containment volume. Testing inside an autoclave is difficult, expensive, and time-consuming, and requires specialized equipment and trained personnel. A relatively recent method to circumvent these issues and provide affordable and reliable test results consists in using hollow specimens as the gas containment volume, thus applying the hydrogen pressure inside rather than outside the
specimen. This experimental setup allows us to minimize the volume of hydrogen and perform the tests safely and effectively. This study focuses on the evaluation of tensile properties of X65 pipeline steel, which was in vervice for natural gas transport, tested in a high-pressure hydrogen environment using hollow specimens. A constant nominal strain rate of 1ꞏ10-6 s-1 is applied. Tests are performed with different manufacturing techniques for the drilling process, which results in difeerent surface conditions. The effect of the roughness on the HE was investigated. For the evaluation the effect on the reduced area at fracture (RA) and the elongation loss were determined. Further fractographic analysis were performed. In this way, this study provides insights on the applicability of novel, reliable, and safer testing method which can be used to assess HE, particularly in relation with hydrogen-induced loss of ductility in metallic material.
Design and construction of a rainfall simulator to test metal runoff at atmospheric conditions
(2023)
A rainfall simulator was presented as an environmental assessment tool to quantify wash-off concentrations from metallic materials. It is part of the RUNOFF-project, which studies and re-assesses the durability of roofing and facade materials under current atmospheric conditions in Germany.
Studying building materials is important as they have a significant impact on achieving a variety of goals and targets within the sustainable developments goals (SDGs). The durability of materials is essential to reach sustainability. However, the durability of metallic materials is strongly depended on climate conditions, which have changed as a result of technical measures in industry, climate change and increasing urbanisation. In Germany at least, the data base is not up-to-date leading to prediction models regarding corrosion resistance and durability of metallic materials which can no longer be trusted and therefore need to be re-assessed and updated. Also, not only the demand for sustainable but also environmentally friendly building materials has increased dramatically. A number of construction materials produce chemical hazards, and therefore have negative impacts on water quality, soils health and ecosystems. To limit these impacts, environmental assessment methods and tools are needed to measure and quantify the inputs and outputs of building materials throughout their lifetime.
In the course of tomorrow's hydrogen-based energy transition, the construction of the corresponding infrastructure will play a central role. In that context, large diameter long-distance transmission pipelines for hydrogen will be the backbone in the European Union with service pressures from 70 to 90 bar (e.g., depending on national regulations). It is a major goal to rededicate the existing LNG infrastructure despite the necessity of new pipelines. From that point of view repairing of such transmissions pipelines via welding can be necessary. For the LNG infrastructure, it is state of the art that repair welding is conducted at pipelines under service, i.e., the LNG is still flowing as pressurized gas in the steel pipes. The reason is that a shut-down of large diameter pipelines is not so easy or sometimes impossible. In fact, as long no oxygen enters the pipeline, there would be any combustion or (in the worst case) explosion. At the moment, it is entirely open if current repair welding procedures for LNG pipelines can be transferred to pure hydrogen pipelines. In opposite to LNG, hydrogen can be way easier absorbed to the pipeline steels and diffuses through the material. If it accumulates in susceptible regions, i.e., in the welded joint, hydrogen assisted embrittlement could occur. The planned welding procedure requires a so-called preheating and maintenance of the weld joint of up to 300°C for several hours. This temperature is way higher compared to the typical service temperature of max. 40 to 50°C at operational pressures of 100 bar. In accordance to API 941, these low-alloyed pipeline steels are subjected to short-term service loads, which they are not designed for. For that reason, a collaborative project between BAM and DVGW (German Association for Gas and Water professions) was initiated in 2022 to answer the following questions by experiments and numerical simulation of: (1) How many hydrogen is additionally absorbed during the heating of the material to max. 300°C under remaining operational pressures? (2) Is the hydrogen concentration sufficient to reach a critical condition? (3) Which material and weld microstructure is the most susceptible? (4) Is there a significant difference in the repair welding behavior of LNG pipelines that had been already in use for long-term? (5) Which welding parameters and joint dimensions must be ensured for safe repair welding repair of typical pipelines? For that reason, the present study gives an overview on the current practice in repair welding of in-service pipelines, the industrial importance of this topic for the hydrogen-based energy transition and summarizes first results.
Through a hybrid use of Low Transforamtion Temperature welding filler, fatigue strength of welds should be increased. Through the hybrid use of LTT welding filler the Integrity of a weld will be less affected. By creating several variants of LTT weld geometries an idea of the optimum residual stress reduction is given.
In the course of tomorrow's hydrogen-based energy transition, the construction of the corresponding infrastructure will play a central role. The majority of materials used to date are typically welded for component fabrication. In that context, steels are widely applied and can be prone to hydrogen embrittlement. For the evaluation of any hydrogen effect on, for example, the mechanical properties of a welded metallic material, the hydrogen content must be precisely determined. According to ISO 3690, carrier gas hot extraction (CGHE) can be used. In addition to the pure quantification of hydrogen, thermal desorption analysis (TDA) with varied heating rates can be used to determine and evaluate the bonding state at microstructural defects in the material. For both techniques, experimental and measurement influences have to be considered, which have a great effect on the result. For CGHE, for example, ISO 3690 suggests different sample geometries as well as minimum extraction times. The present study summarizes results and experiences of numerous investigations with different sample temperatures and geometries (ISO 3690 type B and cylindrical TDA samples) regarding: the influence of the sample surface (polished/welded), measurement accuracies depending on the sample volume. In particular, a deviating extraction temperature to the set temperature, can significantly falsify the measurement results. Based on the results, methods are shown to quickly reach the desired extraction temperature without having to physically interfere with the measurement equipment. This serves to substantially improve the reliability of hydrogen measurement through increased signal stability and accelerated hydrogen desorption. In general, an independent temperature measurement with dummy samples for the selected heating procedure is advisable to exclude possible unwanted temperature influences already before the measurement. In addition (and way more important), the methods described can be transferred directly to industrial applications.
The development of hydrogen technologies entails high safety requirements in distribution and dispensing infrastructure. Therefore, it is necessary to pursue research on material compatibility in hydrogen, especially for critical parts with tribological issues.
The focus of this study is to evaluate the influence of hydrogen on a wider range of commercially available polymer materials. Thereby, the friction and wear behavior of different grades of TPE, POM, PA66, PA12, PPA, PEEK, PPS, PTFE, PAI, PI and PBI were investigated against a rotating steel disk (AISI 304). Filled and unfilled polymers from different suppliers were evaluated at room temperature in air, vacuum and hydrogen gas (H2) as well as in liquid hydrogen at - 253°C (LH2).
The sliding behavior of the polymer materials is discussed by means of surface analyses, whereby special attention is paid to the formation of a transfer film.
According to the results at ambient temperature, the effect of hydrogen environment on the tribological behavior of neat polymers may be related to lack of moisture, but also to saturated hydrocarbons in gaseous hydrogen. In liquid hydrogen, the best tribological performances were achieved with neat PA polymers as well as PPS and PI composites.
Wear behavior of innovative niobium carbide cutting tools in ultrasonic-assisted finishing milling
(2023)
The resources of niobium exceed the ones of tungsten by an order of magnitude. With 92%, Brazil is today the main global producer of niobium. Hence, niobium carbides (NbC) are a sustainable and economic alternative to conventionally used cutting materials, especially tungsten carbides (WC). Moreover, NbC can be used in Ni alloy matrix and thus offer significant advantages by substituting WC in Co matrix as cutting materials in terms of health risks and raw material price and supply risk. Based on recent studies which found an increased performance of NbC compared to WC cutting tools in machining higher strength steels, the composition NbC12Ni4Mo4VC was chosen for finish machining of a high-strength steel S960QL in this study. The experiments were carried out on an ultrasonic-assisted 5-axis milling machine using NbC tools specially made to benchmark them with commercially available coated WC cutting inserts. In addition, the influence of a coating system for the NbC inserts is tested and evaluated for its performance in the cutting process. Tool wear and cutting force analyses are implied to identify optimal parameter combinations as well as tool properties for the novel NbC tool. Together with the oscillation of ultrasonic-assisted milling, the loads on the component surface and the tool can be reduced and the wear behavior of the novel NbC tool can be refined. These milling tests are accompanied by standardized wear tests, i.e., pin-on-disc, between the aforementioned material combinations, and the results are correlated with each other. Finally, the behavior when using hard-to-cut materials such as Ni alloys, or innovative materials such as iron aluminide is also being tested, as these are constantly in the focus of machining optimization. With this strategy, comprehensive knowledge is achievable for future efficient application of NbC for milling tools, which have already been researched for decades using WC.